Unfinished Business
by kiyone4ever
Summary: AU Recruitment Drive. Former FBI profiler Jason Gideon revisits an old case. What consequences will follow? Updated chapter one (Post AoU and AoS ep 2x20 Scars)
1. Chapter 1

I have enjoyed Afalstein and bissek's Recruitment Drive stories a great deal. But I have been curious to follow the threads of those stories into the current season of AoS and other relevant material. This current season has seen the deaths of both **Agents of SHIELD**'s Agent Antoine Triplett and **Criminal Minds**' Jason Gideon, both of whom have featured prominently in a number of Recruitment Drive stories. But how might events change in a shared reality? Readers may wish to consider this an AU version of the Recruitment Drive Universe.

Standard Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine. They belong to their respective networks and creators. The concept of the Recruitment Drive belongs to Afalstein and is used with his permission. This story is for entertainment purposes only (Hopefully) and not for profit.

**Unfinished Business**

Chapter 1: Point of Departure

"Director? May I have a minute of your time?"

Phil Coulson looked up from the stack of reports on his desk and leaned back in his chair with a frustrated sigh. In eight months he had crisscrossed the globe in his efforts to rebuild SHIELD. He had recruited dozens of individuals that in the old days would have been written off as damaged goods or objectionable on other grounds. He had forged alliances and working relationships with groups and individuals that would previously been untouchable or even completely unknown. And he had made it all work somehow. And yet; for all that, SHIELD was still dangerously low on equipment and resources.

It wasn't that Coulson expected another helicarrier to fall into his lap. He knew the Navy had Fury's command carrier locked down at the Norfolk Naval Yard since the day SHIELD fell, where it had been undergoing repair and refit after the Battle of New York. Getting it back and storing it for Theta Protocol had been a major accomplishment but with the optical camouflage dismantled, it was a card best hidden until absolute last resort, making it useless for normal missions. The Insight helicarriers had been thankfully destroyed and the others had been reported as lost or had been seized by various national governments. But the fact that Hydra could send a full flight of cloak equipped Quinjets to intercept the Bus and he could only lay his hands on a single one was a bit galling. Worse, it was an imbalance of forces he needed to correct.

Still, he was far ahead in the quality of his people and the man in front of him was a firm testament to that.

"Agent Gideon. Go ahead and take a seat." Coulson noticed the file in Gideon's hand and cleared away room for it. The former FBI profiler plopped into the chair opposite. Surprisingly enough, it was his wallet and not the file from which Gideon withdrew an old photograph.

"Tara Barnett. Reported missing by her mother in 1978. Her abduction fit the pattern of three other young women abducted and found strangled near Roanoke Virginia in the previous nine months."

"An old case of yours?"

Gideon nodded. "David Rossi and I went down to investigate but we never found Tara or the unsub. There were no more bodies discovered and the Behavioral Sciences Unit only had three agents. We didn't have the manpower to keep on it. We had to let this one go but I never could." Jason shook his head sadly.

Coulson could certainly understand about having too many missions and not enough agents. He also understood about not being able to let some things go. "Have you found something new?" He opened the file to see a clipped newspaper article.

"Possibly. A body of a woman in her mid fifties was discovered in the woods just outside Roanoke. In my gut I'm sure it's her. Tara Barnett. But I have to make sure Phil."

"And if it is?" The Director asked leaning forward in his seat.

"I have to be the one to close this case."

"You know SHIELD isn't even a legally recognized law enforcement agency anymore. What are we supposed to do if you even manage to catch this guy?" Coulson asked. Sympathies aside, just what could they really do in this case?

"I know sir, but I have to do this. Besides, you'll think of something. You always do." Gideon replied with that disarming smile of his.

"Alright Jason. I'll give you one week to prove to me something is there." Coulson decided.

"Yes sir."

"And you'll take Agent Triplett with you."

"That's not really..." Gideon started to object.

"Not negotiable Agent. If you're going out chasing after psychopaths, I want someone riding shotgun on your ass. You are completely too valuable for me to lose Gideon." Coulson shrugged. "Besides, Trip just might go off the deep end if he doesn't get away from House for a bit."

"Now that I understand completely sir." Gideon conceded with a slight smile.

"Good. It's settled. Go find Trip and get going. This case isn't going to solve itself."

Meanwhile; in the lab wing, Agent Triplett had dropped in to see Skye.

"So? How long until they let you out of here?" Trip asked looking around the room.

Skye shrugged. "Jemma wants to run a few more tests."

"Better her than House." Trip replied rubbing his shoulder. He was quite certain most of the man's prodding had absolutely nothing to do with his injuries and completely with a need to be constantly be prodding, prickling, agitating, or irritating someone or at least some_thing_ at all times.

"Can't argue with you there." Skye agreed. "I swear the man is a ghoul!"

"Yeah. The man seriously puts the crimp in my funk!" They both laughed. "I gotta remember not to let an ancient temple fall on top of me again." Trip shook his head. "Thanks for pulling me out of there." He said more seriously.

"I know any of you would do the same for me." Skye replied. _I risked Trip's life. I shouldn't have gone after Raina... Did part of me just... Was I too tempted just to see what would happen?_

Trip looked down. "I should have done something down there."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Anything." Triplett replied.

"I'm kind of glad you didn't." Skye said. "I mean, who knows what would have happened if you had."

"Yeah. Dresden's lecture on interfering with poorly understood or supernatural processes." Trip agreed. The wizard's words ringing in his ears. It had been so tempting to smash the obelisk but Dresden had been very clear on the dangers of screwing with magic if that's what it was anyway. Magic? Superscience? Was there really a difference beyond the label? "Still..."

"Still nothing." Skye told him. "We're alive. I mean that's what counts right?"

"Right." Trip squeezed her hand. Behind him, Skye looked up to see Agent Gideon.

"Gideon! Come to delve the depths of my brain?" Skye asked as he came in.

"Maybe some other time." Gideon told her and turned to Triplett. "I'm actually looking for Trip here." Gideon quirked his head at him. Trip and Derrick Morgan would have gotten along pretty well, he thought. "I've got a case in Virginia that I need to check into. The Director strongly recommended I bring you along. Of course I would understand if you'd rather stay behind."

Trip grinned. "You know; as much as I'd love to hang around, when the boss recommends something, he's just being polite. I guess I'll just have to grab my gear and check out a vehicle. Shame. This means I won't be around for House to run anymore tests or anything like that."

"Duty calls huh Trip?" Skye smiled.

"Yep. Duty calls." He agreed as he stood up. "You be a good girl and I'll see you when I get back."


	2. Evaluation

The first chapter went well but as Afalstein pointed out in his review, SHIELD cannot drop everything for its agents to be taking care of personal missions. Agent May and Director Coulson will need to discuss this as we resume. In the meantime, Gideon and Trip begin their investigation...

Standard Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine. They belong to their respective networks and creators. The concept of the Recruitment Drive belongs to Afalstein and is used with his permission. This story is for entertainment purposes only (Hopefully) and not for profit.

**Unfinished Business**

Chapter 2: Evaluation

Former and formerly late Director of SHIELD, Nick Fury had the World Security Council to contend with. Current Director Phil Coulson had his personal keeper, Agent Melinda May. Of the two, the WSC was much easier to ignore, Coulson thought wearily as Agent May swept into his office.

"Phil? Did you authorize Gideon and Trip on a mission in Virginia?"

Coulson sighed internally. "Yes. Gideon had a possible new lead on an old case of his so I authorized for him and Trip to look into it."

May stood infront of his desk with her arms folded and face locked into her patented 'May is NOT happy' overworked mother look she reserved for him alone. "Phil... even supposing SHIELD was still a lawfully authorized agency, Agent Gideon's old cases are the purview of the FBI, not SHIELD. We hardly have the manpower to handle the missions that rightfully belong to SHIELD in the first place, let alone personal ones like this that we have no business getting involved in."

"I know May." Phil replied calmly. "But I also know what it's like to have something eating at you from the inside. So do you. And sometimes there's not a damn thing we can do but try to pick ourselves up and force ourselves to move on." Phil looked up with that sad expression of regret and then it firmed with conviction.

"But sometimes; if we're lucky, we get the chance to made the bad things right. Gideon has done wonders for us from helping Fitz and Barton to his analysis work that brought in Agent Mills. We owe him this chance to put this thing right."

"And then what?"

"And then Gideon needs to decide where he needs to be. With us... the BAU... or maybe in a logging camp, because you're right. We're SHIELD and we can't try to be everywhere and everything anymore. I think Gideon is that valuable that I'm willing to bend the rules a bit on his behalf, but only so far." Coulson noted with complete frankness.

"Of course, if things go well, then just maybe we can convince some of Gideon's former colleagues that we're not the bad guys. Maybe even keep a line of communication open." Phil suggested hopefully. "Some of the cases we look into will turn out to be run of the mill bad guys. And sometimes the FBI might find themselves dealing with more than they can handle. Are we just going to let the bad guys get away because the wrong agency got involved? You and Director Fury said it yourselves May. SHIELD is founded on the principle of protection. Sometimes living up to that principle means learning to trust and share with others." Coulson held out his palms as if weighing an idea.

"If there is one thing we've learned rebuilding SHIELD, it's that we didn't exactly have a great reputation with other agencies even before Hydra was exposed. The CIA, IMF, DIA, the FBI, and just about every other intelligence and law enforcement agency resented the hell out of SHIELD. And why? Because SHIELD didn't work with anyone. We walked all over everyone. We both know that interagency cooperation was pretty much a one-way street with SHIELD.

"It has to be different this time."

* * *

**Western Virginia near Roanoke:**

Gideon stared at the shallow depression where Tara Barnett's body had been found. Trip glanced around at the surrounding trees.

"All right. Trip, today you're going to be a profiler. Look around you. See with the unsub's eyes. What's special about this place? He's got a whole forrest and he picks this spot to leave the body of Tara Barnett. Why?"

The SHIELD agent frowned. "How does this compare to the bodies you found in '78?"

"Bodies posed the same way except for the other victims all had a dead sparrow placed in their hands."

"They were the same age as my mother..." Trip noted looking around. "What if she WAS the bird?" He gestured to the depession.

Gideon nodded as he considered the idea. _No bird because she was different from the others. She made a different choice_. "That's why the killing stopped in 1978. She was the girl he was looking for... And then she died."

"Meaning what? This guy is going to start looking for a replacement?"

"Definitely. And we have to find him before he finds his next victim."

"So how do we find this guy?"

"His signature. The birds mean something very important to him and he knows a lot about them. The birds he left behind were Nelson's Sparrows. They're interesting birds. They don't fly away in the face of danger. They sit still or walk away from danger... Completely passive in their own defense."

"Maybe that's why he didn't kill her." Trip suggested. "She didn't resist."

"So instead she spent thirtyseven years in a cage. Makes you wonder which fate was worse."

"Death or Life in a cage? Maybe we'll ask this creep when we catch him." Trip suggested.

"Maybe. First we have to find him."

"Any idea how?"

First we'll see if Skye can give us a push in the right direction." Gideon pulled out his cell phone and waited for the answer at the other end.

_"You've reached Skye's house of chaos, confusion, and plausible deniability!"_

Gideon chuckled. It must be something endemic about hackers he mused mildly. "Hello Skye. I need you to do a favor for me."

_"Sure Gideon! What do you need?"_

"I need a list of all the birding societies and all their members in a ten mile radius of Roanoke Virginia and going back to 1977."

_"Birding?"_

"Yeah. You know? Bird watching."

_"Uh... sure. As soon as I have it, I'll download the list to your PDA."_

"Don't have one. My cell phone does calls only."

_"Okaay... I'll download it to **Trip's **PDA." _Skye replied doubtfully.

"Thanks Skye." Gideon hung up. _Doesn't anybody believe in notepads anymore?_ He wondered fleetingly, then turned to Triplett. "Skye is going to send the list to your PDA."

"In the meantime? Where next?" Trip asked.

"We're going to try and lure him out."

"Got a plan for that?"

"He's a creature of habit. I'm going to make myself at home right in the middle of his comfort zone." Gideon smirked.

"So you're going to what? Dress up like a porkchop and dance around the lion's cage?"

"I was thinking more like checking out a few books from the library and getting some pie. Maybe a milkshake."

"And hope we get him before he gets you."

"Preferably."


	3. Bird in the Hand

Standard Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine. They belong to their respective networks and creators. The concept of the Recruitment Drive belongs to Afalstein and is used with his permission. This story is for entertainment purposes only (Hopefully) and not for profit.

**Unfinished Business**

Chapter 3: Bird in the Hand.

Jason Gideon had been in worse diners. The service was friendly, the food was good and the extra slice of pie was very nice. Maybe that's what Gideon liked about diners. Good, decent folk who treated everyone like a neighbor, even complete strangers. It was a frame of mind so diametrically opposite the world Gideon had spent most of his adult life in and therefore all the more precious. Gideon _needed_ to see people like this. It was hope that there was still more good than evil in the hearts of man.

But today he was here to find a predator. Someone who saw the innocent only as prey. Gideon already knew a lot about the man he was looking for. His age would be no younger than sixty two. He would be a physically unimpressive build and stature. Even in his prime he would not have commanded the attention or presence of an alpha male. His victims had been girls with low self esteem so he was probably intimidated by assertive women. Hated them but was afraid of them. Probably raised in a house with a strong female presence. He knew the area well. Probably had not ventured more than fifty miles from home in his adult life. He had limited social skills. Not one to attract attention to himself. He was a coward seeking out the weakest prey he could find. The ones who would offer the least struggle. But it was not the killing he savored. He needed something else. He had kept Tara Barnett; his bird in a cage, until she died and now like a cruel child would need to find a replacement so he could feel the power of control and in the fear of his victim.

But still; in the end, he was a coward. Gideon hoped he could use this by letting the unsub know he was being hunted and by disrupting his world. Taking away his comfort zone and provoking him to react. Agent Triplett had told Gideon quite bluntly what he thought about this plan and privately, Gideon had to admit that had he come here alone, there was a very good chance his strategy might have backfired. However, that was the other advantage of his plan. Gideon had been so obvious that the unsub would not pay any notice to Triplett, who had years of training on how not to attract attention. Of course, if Jason were still in the BAU, Hotch would have had Morgan watching his back like a hawk if Gideon had tried something like this.

This thought brought a chuckle to Gideon's mind. He wondered what it would be like if his old team could meet his new family. Garcia and Skye competing for hacker supremacy. Reed endlessly talking shop with Fitz and Simmons. Prentiss and Melinda May would probably be debating their preferrence in side arms. Gideon shook his head. It was time to see if the unsub would rise to the bait.

* * *

**Later...**

The drive back to his old cabin would have been quite pleasant under other circumstances Gideon thought. Trip had rented a car that morning and had arrived hours ahead of him. And like the highly trained secret agent he was, had disappeared into the shadows, a silent sentinel. Meanwhile, Gideon went inside. Trip's PDA was sitting on the table with Skye's data Thankfully, Skye had gone back a few years earlier than Gideon had originally requested. Gideon made a note to ask Skye to cross check the names included with employment histories of the victims. That could wait until morning however.

Outside, Donnie Mallick watched the cabin closely. _Why? Why after all this time had this man come back to Roanoke? Did it really matter? He was a threat. One that had to be removed. _Donnie slowly unslung his rifle and took careful aim. As his finger moved to the trigger, he noticed an eerie quiet and a very loud click just behind his ear.

"Set it down. Nice and slow. " Antoine Triplett ordered in a calm but firm voice. "My boss likes it if Gideon didn't get shot or anything so if you so much as breath in a way I don't like, I'll drop you like a bad habit. Understand?"

Donnie nodded as he slowly lowered the rifle. Some might say he had no value for life but in fact he valued his own a great deal. His own death was unthinkable. He still owed the world one last bit of defiance. A final flip of the bird before they caged him.

"I still got my girls. Nothing you do changes that." He said as the man behind him kicked the rifle away.

"You don't get it do you?" Triplett told him. "Gideon came back because she was important. _Her_, not you. She'll always be remembered and you are going away forever and everyone is going to forget you ever existed. Chew on that." Triplett shoved him roughly toward the cabin.

"Got him Gideon!" Trip called. _Now it's up to the boss to figure out what to do next._

* * *

**Behavioral Analysis Unit, Quantico Virginia: Office of Penelope Garcia, 0905 hours Eastern Standard Time.**

The phone rang just as Penelope set down her morning cup of herbal tea. She answered in her usual bouyant manner.

"Office of cyber miracles. Speak forth and let your pleas be heard!"

On the other end was the one voice she had not, could not have anticipated.

"Garcia! Good! Glad to see some things don't change. Is Hotch in?"

"Gideon! Oh! Uh! It's really you ah sir! Uh... I... Are you alright? Where are you? We..."

"Take a deep breath and relax Penelope. This is kind of important so I need to know. Is Hotch in?"

"Uh yes sir!"

"Good. Could you put me through to him?"

"Uh... Yes sir... "

"Good. Because this is official and important and I have some people he should meet..."


	4. Who We Are

Standard Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine. They belong to their respective networks and creators. The concept of the Recruitment Drive belongs to Afalstein and is used with his permission. This story is for entertainment purposes only (Hopefully) and not for profit.

And now the last chapter in our story.

**Unfinished Business**

* * *

Chapter 4: Who We Are.

_**"You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible." **_

**Anton Chekhov**

* * *

It had been eight years since Spencer Reid had driven this road. Eight years since Jason Gideon had left the BAU, his badge and gun sitting on the table in his cabin along with a letter to Reid. Now; after eight years, Gideon had called them. _Why__? _Spenser wondered. Up ahead the rest of the team would be waiting. Sure enough he recognized Garcia's 'Esther'. The orange 1965 Cadillac Fleetwood convertible was parked across from three ominous looking black SUVs. Government issue vehicles all seemed to look the same. Garcia was standing by her car with Morgan and Kate Callaghan. Reid parked his Volvo next to Esther and stepped out.

"Where are Hotch and Rossi?" He asked Morgan. Morgan shrugged and glanced at a frowning Asian looking woman who seemed to be studying them and everything around her.

"Inside with Gideon. And then there's these guys..." Morgan gestured to the black garbed woman. "Anybody care to guess who they are?"

"Uh guys?" Garcia nodded toward the road. "Maybe we might be about to find out." She noted as a red convertible drove up. The driver parked and removed a pair of sunglasses and walked over to the amazon in the skin suit. She frowned but nodded in the reproving manner reserved for overworked keepers.

"Definitely the man in charge." JJ observed as he went inside the cabin.

"But in charge of what?" Reid asked.

"Beats me." JJ replied. "These guys definitely aren't bureau but they're agency of some sort."

"Well," Morgan said. "Whatever is going on. It sure makes you wonder what Gideon's been up to these days..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Director Coulson walked up the steps and into the sturdy cabin. Gideon was by the stove, pouring coffee for Hotch and Rossi, who were seated at his kitchen table.

"Ah! Director!" Gideon greeted him with a smile. "Coffee?"

"Please."

Gideon nodded and reached for another cup. "Director, I'd like you to meet Senior Supervisory Agent Aaron Hotchner, BAU unit chief and Special Agent David Rossi, gifted profiler and author and ladies man."

"Well. still two out of three isn't bad." Rossi quipped. "I can still chase bad guys and I can still write, but my days as a ladies man are long gone my friend."

Gideon chuckled. "Hotch, Dave, allow me to introduce Phil Coulson, Director of SHIELD."

Hotch and Rossi tensed slightly. Of all the unimaginable things, this was a particularly unsettling development.

"Jason," Hotch said carefully."SHIELD doesn't exist except on the terror watch list."

Coulson sighed. "Agent Hotchner... How many FBI agents were killed the day Project Insight went down?" He said calmly.

Hotch and Rossi looked at him levelly. "None." Hotchner conceded.

Coulson nodded. "WE lost hundreds of good people cut down by people they thought were friends and colleagues."

"And all SHIELD agents were ordered to stand down until they could be cleared."

"I know. Guilty until proven innocent, But the problem is that the Hydras didn't stand around and wait for the government to get over their own mistakes and get around to sorting them out. They went underground, Agent Hotchner. Some of us aren't content to wait for them to pop back up when they're ready. And there are still plenty of other threats that quite frankly, the FBI just isn't equipped to handle." He tossed a file on the table.

Hotchner opened it carefully.

"Marcus Daniels." Coulson informed them. "He was an individual who had the ability to drain off energy from anything he wanted, from a car battery to a human body. Can you seriously tell me the bureau is equipped to handle someone like that?"

Hotch closed the file and sat back with a more neutral expression as Coulson continued.

"On the other hand, sometimes we come across cases which frankly are your area of specialty." He glanced at Gideon.

"Dave?"Gideon asked. "Do you remember a case back in '78? Three women murdered in the vicinity of Roanoke Virginia? One every three months and then the killings just stopped."

"Yeah." Dave recalled. "And there was that woman who approached us, claiming her daughter had been abducted." He turned to Hotch. "Her body was never found. We had to let the case go because we didn't have the manpower to pursue it."

"Tara Burnett's body was found last week, dumped just like all the others. He kept her all these years." Gideon informed them.

"Are there any suspects?" Hotch asked, pointedly ignoring the fact that he was now consorting with wanted terrorists.

"His name is Donnie Mallick." Coulson supplied. "We have him secured in a vehicle outside after he tried to take a shot at Gideon. Don't worry. No one has mentioned SHIELD in front of Mr. Mallick. It's a clean case. I'll leave it to Gideon to fill in the details."

"Fair enough." Rossi agreed. "But just what is SHIELD's interest in all this?"

"Consider it a marriage of virtue and need Agent Rossi." Coulson answered him. "After SHIELD fell, those of us who were left were a pretty beat up bunch. You can imagine we went through the worst days of our lives and we needed help. Unusual circumstances dictated unusual solutions." He admitted. "We figured a man who had spent his life understanding sick minds might have some ideas on how to put damaged minds back together. And his expertise helped two very good men find themselves again.

"So when Gideon came to me about this case, I owed him the chance to finish this. Besides..." Coulson added. "SHIELD was founded on the ideal of protection. One person or the world. We're rebuilding and getting back to the basics. And that means we do things different. Even if it weren't for present circumstances, we can't be everywhere. We can't run everything and frankly we shouldn't try.

"But we can help. "

"So what are you asking from us?" Hotch questioned.

"For now... Just close up this case. Gideon will give you the details and you can take Mr. Mallick into custody." Coulson told him. "Beyond that? We'll probably just have to wait and see." He put his sunglasses back on.

"Gideon."

"Director. " Jason acknowledged as Coulson left.

Rossi shook his head as he considered it all.

"So Gideon? Been up to much lately...?"


	5. Epilogue: The Road Traveled

Once again The Standard Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine. They belong to their respective networks and creators. The concept of the Recruitment Drive belongs to Afalstein and is used with his permission. This story is for entertainment purposes only (Hopefully) and not for profit.

It's time to finish wrapping this particular story up. And I also need to get back into a creative flow. This epilogue is short but considering the characters that are _not _present during the events of bissek's 'Reaching an Accord' I think it makes some sense.

And so without further ado.

**Unfinished Business**

* * *

Chapter 5, Epilogue: The Road Traveled

_**"I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep..." **_

**Robert Frost  
**

* * *

"So how did it go?" Coulson asked Gideon when they returned to the Playground.

"About how we figured." Jason judged. "They're not entirely convinced but they'll keep an open mind."

"That's all we can hope for. " Phil nodded. He studied Gideon thoughtfully. "And you?"

"I'm good." Jason answered. "The BAU is in good hands. And I... I need something else in my life Phil."

"In a logging camp?"

"No. It was a great place to get away from it all but it's not where I can make a difference." Gideon told the Director.

"Good." Coulson replied. "Because we need you."

"What's the assignment?"

"I'm going to take a play from Hydra's own book. With Hydra on one side and our own Government on the other, I'm thinking about not keeping all our eggs in one basket. So I'm sending Trip to set up housekeeping in Tokyo."

"Another one of Nick Fury's secret bases?"

"Actually it was originally set up by Tiger Tanaka. He was the head of Japanese Covert Operations back in the 1960's. He figured that having a few assets off the books could come in handy. So after an Earthquake in 1981, Tanaka reported that the facility was structurally compromised. Not a good thing for a base sitting under Tokyo Bay."

"Fixer upper?" Gideon joked.

"It's solid. A few new curtains, new carpeting, and replace a computer center that still has a Cray-1 down there. It should be good to go." Coulson replied.

"What's the asking price?"

"Fury didn't say. I'm not sure I want to know." Coulson admitted.

"So who's going?" Gideon asked curious.

"Agent Koenig is there now."

"Which one? Billy or Sam?"

"Would you believe Walter?" Phil replied sheepishly.

"He doesn't have a brother named John Koenig does he?" Gideon smirked.

"Not that I know of." Coulson chuckled at the reference. "Anyway, I was planning to send You, Trip, Noir, possibly Agent Mills and his family."

"Not House?"

"It's tempting but no. I'll keep him here." The Director shook his head. House was many things: annoying, arrogant, irascible... but he was also a genius and an asset. It might be fun to lock him in a room with Tony Stark, Coulson mused. "At any rate, I'll want you to keep your eyes open for new assets. If something goes wrong here..."

"We'll keep the fight going." Gideon agreed.

"Hopefully it won't come to that."

"Amen to that."

* * *

**"No, this is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book! That first book is already closed, ended, and tossed into the seas; this new book is newly opened, has just begun! Look, it is the first page! And it is a beautiful one!" **  
**  
**

**C. JoyBell C.**

* * *

End.


	6. Next Mission

I have been thinking hard about where to go next with this. Then I looked into _Gunslinger Girl. _This anime is like an unholy blending of _Noir _with _The Winter Soldier. _Like Bucky Barnes and Chloe, the girls of the Social Welfare Agency are victims (although they do not consider themselves as such) yet they are extremely dangerous. I cannot conceive of Coulson learning of the existence of the SWA's Section 2 and him not wanting to bring this organization down. On the other hand, Coulson currently has his hands full dealing with Nu-SHIELD and the mess that they have made ( See bissek's **Reaching An Accord**) His assets are either stuck in the Playground or searching for the Athame of Morgan le Fae so what he can spare for this operation is very limited.

That said, here goes!

**Chapter Six: The Next Mission.**

The flight from Tokyo to Malta Station was not uncomfortable. True, The Bus was and would be out of play until Director Coulson could get Gonzales and his cabal wrangled in but the"Mini Bus" as Tripp liked to call it ( a modified Gulfstream G650ER ) was equipped with a rather nice galley, sleeping quarters and other amenities. While well stocked with entertainment options, today's in-flight movie was being replaced by an emergency briefing by Director Coulson himself.

_Considering the Boss's current problems this must be real big._ Triplett considered as Gideon and the two young women known together as Noir took their seats for the three way video call with Agent Mills in Malta and Director Coulson transmitting from an undisclosed location.

"_I see everyone is here so I'll try to be brief. Gonzales' people just pissed off some very important people in Chicago. I need to go and try and calm things down or at least keep the consequences from spilling over onto the rest of us." _Coulson began_._

"Good luck on that, Director." Gideon replied.

"_I'm going to need it." _Coulson confirmed. "_In the meantime, we can't let our in house problems keep us from doing our job." _He emphasized.

The photograph of a man in his early forties telescoped into one quadrant of the monitor.

"_This is Claudio Raballo. Formerly of the __Carabinieri. Invalided out after an injury resulted in the amputation of one of his legs. Now very recently late of the Social Welfare Agency."_

Gideon saw Tripp tense at the name.

"Social Welfare Agency?" Gideon asked. "Somehow I think this guy wasn't passing out welfare checks."

Coulson shook his head. "_The SWA is a covert operations section of the Italian Government. Mainly dealing with counter-terrorism. This morning we arranged for Mister Raballo to have a fatal accident before flying him to Malta for his protection and debriefing. Agent Mills?"_

Brian Mills faced the screen, arms folded. His the face of a man forcing himself to restrain a burning anger.

"_Agent Beckett carried out the initial debriefing of Mr. Raballo. According to him, the Social Welfare Agency has established a section specializing in assassination using young girls who have been conditioned and cybernetically enhanced."_

Gideon noticed how both Mireille and Kirika tensed at this. For Kirika, the outward signs were very slight but still there all the same. Mireille was more expressive.

"That sounds like something the Soldats might have come up with." She suggested.

Director Coulson nodded. "_That could be. And of course we know that Hydra has a deep interest in cybernetically enhanced soldiers. So their hand could be in this also."_

"One question," Gideon spoke. "Where do these girls come from?"

Mills scowled. "_They are already wards of the state. Come from ruined lives."_

"Damaged and disposable." Gideon noted sourly. "Perfect."

"_And that's why I want you to investigate the situation and take whatever steps are necessary and possible to shut this down." _Coulson told them.

"This isn't like going after Hydra." Triplett replied. "We're dealing with a branch of the legal government of a sovereign nation." He knew he was deliberately casting bait.

"_It doesn't matter Tripp. SHIELD used to be a legally recognized agency too. There's a line and it's been crossed." _Coulson answered. _"We're going to do something about it..."_

* * *

In adding a new chapter to this story I felt a little nervous that I might be putting on one piece too many. But you folks tell me: Should I go forward with this or did I try to go a bridge too far? Please leave a review and let me know.


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